The UK's Best Free Car Check
Check a car’s history for free. See its MOT history, mileage, tax status, ULEZ status, safety recalls and car details.
Checking
- Finding vehicle
- Checking MOT & mileage
- Checking ULEZ & recalls
- Building Basic Car Report
Official DVLA and DVSA records
- Free, no account needed
- Official DVLA and DVSA data
- Cars, vans and motorcycles
What does a free car check include?
Everything below is in the free Basic Car Report. No payment and no account.
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MOT status and history
Whether the MOT is valid, when it runs out, and every recorded test with its advisories and failures.
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Mileage history
The odometer reading from each MOT test, charted so you can see how the mileage has built up.
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Tax and SORN status
Whether the car is taxed, untaxed or SORN, when the tax is due, and its yearly road tax where we can work it out.
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ULEZ status
Whether the car meets the London ULEZ standard, or a link to TfL when its records can’t settle it.
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Safety recalls
Recalls for the same model from around the same year, with the defect and the fix.
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Car details and specs
Make, model, colour, fuel, engine size, year, first registration and whether it is marked for export.
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Emissions
CO₂ figure and Euro status where recorded, and the CO₂ tax band for cars it applies to.
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Model MOT facts
Where there is enough data, how the model does at its MOT: first-time pass rate and most common failure area.
What you see depends on what DVLA and DVSA hold for the car. Where something isn’t recorded, we leave it out rather than guess.
Free Car Check vs Full History Report
The Basic Car Report shows what public DVLA and DVSA records say about a car. The Full History Report adds the history those records don’t hold.
Basic Car Report
Free- MOT status and full MOT history
- Mileage readings from every MOT
- Tax and SORN status
- ULEZ status
- Safety recalls for the model
- Car details, specs and emissions
Full History Report
£15Everything in the Basic Car Report, plus:
- Outstanding financeWhether money is still owed on the car, and to which finance company
- Write-off historyAny recorded insurance write-off, with its category and date
- Stolen statusChecked against police stolen records
- Previous ownersHow many owners, and when the current one took over
- Mileage checksReadings compared for signs of clocking
- Plate changesPrevious plates and when they changed
- Import, export and scrappedWhether the car has been imported, exported or scrapped
What’s in the Full History Report
Start with the free check. If you’re serious about a car, you can upgrade from its Basic Car Report.
Can I rely on a free car check before buying?
For a lot of what you need to know, yes. A free car check shows whether the MOT and tax are valid, how the car has done at past MOTs, whether the mileage readings rise steadily, whether it meets ULEZ and whether its model has had safety recalls. That is often enough to rule a car out before you go to see it.
What it can’t tell you is whether the car is safe to pay for. Outstanding finance, stolen records and write-off history are not held in public DVLA or DVSA records, so no free check can show them. A car with finance still owing can belong to the finance company rather than the seller.
Before you hand over money, run a Full History Report to check the car’s history for finance, write-offs and theft.
Where does our free car check data come from?
- DVLA
- Tax and SORN status, first registration date, CO₂ emissions, Euro status, the latest V5C date and the export marker.
- DVSA
- Every MOT test with its mileage, advisories and failures, safety recall records, and the published MOT results behind each model’s pass rate.
- TfL’s ULEZ standard
- We compare the car’s recorded emissions and age with TfL’s published standard. TfL makes the final decision.
Each Basic Car Report shows when it was last checked, and you can refresh it for the latest records. The Full History Report adds history that isn’t public, from specialist vehicle data sources: finance agreements, insurance write-offs, police stolen records, keeper changes and plate changes.
Free car check FAQs
Is the Carpeep car check really free?
Yes. The free car check and the Basic Car Report it opens cost nothing, and you don’t need an account or card details. You only pay if you choose to upgrade to the £15 Full History Report.
What does a free car check show?
The Basic Car Report shows the car’s MOT status and MOT history, the mileage recorded at each MOT, its tax and SORN status, ULEZ status, safety recalls for the model, and its details, specs and emissions.
Can I check a car’s MOT history for free?
Yes. The Basic Car Report lists every MOT test DVSA holds for the car, with the result, the mileage, and any advisories and failures, plus whether the current MOT is valid and when it runs out.
Does a free car check show mileage?
Yes. It shows the odometer reading recorded at each MOT and charts them over time. The Full History Report adds a mileage check that compares the readings for signs of clocking.
Can I check if a car is stolen for free?
No. Stolen records are not part of the public DVLA and DVSA information, so the Basic Car Report does not include them. The Full History Report checks whether the car is recorded as stolen.
Can I check outstanding finance for free?
No. Finance agreements are recorded by lenders, not the DVLA, so a free car check cannot show them. The Full History Report checks for outstanding finance and names the finance company where an agreement is recorded.
Can I check if a car has been written off?
Not with a free check. Insurance write-offs, such as Cat S and Cat N, are not in public records. The Full History Report shows any recorded write-off with its category and date.
Can I check previous owners for free?
No. The number of previous owners is not in the Basic Car Report. The Full History Report shows how many owners the car has had and when the current one took over.
What’s the difference between a free car check and a Full History Report?
The free Basic Car Report shows public DVLA and DVSA information: MOT history, mileage readings, tax, ULEZ, recalls and car details. The £15 Full History Report adds outstanding finance, write-off history, stolen status, previous owners, mileage checks, plate changes, and import, export and scrapped records.
Check a car for free
See its MOT history, mileage, tax, ULEZ status and safety recalls in the free Basic Car Report.
- No payment or account
- Official DVLA and DVSA data
- Upgrade to the Full History Report any time